Changed For Good
by Elle Spangler
Summary: Lily and James embark on their last 3 years of Hogwarts and into a world filled with war and terror. But while at Hogwarts will they be able to change themselves and others?
1. Lakeside Scene

**Ello fellow Lily and James lovers! I'm Megan, the authors friend, she had issues with logining in so I did it for her and posted this. I hope you like it, its well written and I like it (so should you)! Now you maybe read, and don't forget to review, because you have no clue how much reviewing makes an author want to write, we like to please you with our writing! **

"You make me SICK."

Lily Evans walked away from James Potter, her archenemy. She ignored James as he called her name repeatedly. Her eyebrows were slanted and her striking green eyes shimmering. She walked down to the shore of the lake in her bare feet. There, her two best friends and a few other girls were sitting, looking up at her.

"How did it go?" one of Lily's best friends, Elizabeth Ramsey, inquired.

"How do you think?" Lily replied. Elizabeth rolled her head far back and laughed, her long, wavy blonde hair flowing in the wind. After this she lay down and shut her eyes from the sun.

"Why do you always find these incidents so humorous?" Lily asked.

"Can you honestly blame her for laughing?" Lily's other best friend, Alexis Nicholson, remarked.

"Why do you say that?" Lily said, while sitting down to the right of Elizabeth. She lay back and looked at the clouds, trying to make figures and shapes out of them, but to no avail.

"Why do you ask that question?" Alexis laughed.

"Whatever. All I know is that I was only helping out one of my peers." Lily responded. She put her arm over her eyes to shade them from the sun. She could hear the rest of the girls laughing. One of them, Felicia Catkins, sat up and turned to Lily.

"How on earth do you do it, Lily?" Felicia asked. Lily put down her arm and turned to Felicia, her eyes squinting from the sunlight.

"Do what?"

"Not fall totally in love with him."

"Severus Snape? How can you fall in love with him?"

"No, you thickheaded idiot, James Potter." Alexis said in a bored manner, as if they had been through this plenty of times. Lily sat up immediately and propped herself on her arms.

"That's disgusting! He's so full of himself and he's like a spawn of the devil. He's just so…obnoxious. I don't know how anyone can act that way, honestly." Lily exclaimed.

"He may be obnoxious but he's simply gorgeous." another girl, Babette Overly, said in a dreamy manner.

"But he's an idiot! All the Marauders are! So how on earth can you say that?" Lily asked. To this, Elizabeth immediately sat up and faced Lily.

"Remus Lupin is not an idiot! He's possibly the most intelligent student at Hogwarts! Not to mention best fifth year!" Elizabeth practically yelled.

"Sorry, Elizabeth, I forgot that you're in love with him." Lily said in a small voice, trying not to burst out laughing. The girls in the group roared with laughter.  
"Shut up, will you! I am not in love with Remus!" Elizabeth said, annoyed. While all of the girls were laughing, Elizabeth stood up and grabbed her bag, starting to walk away.

"Oh Elizabeth, darling," Lily said, still laughing, "You know that I agree with you!" Elizabeth turned around and stood in front of Lily, looking down on her.

"Agree with what?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"Of course Remus Lupin is not an idiot. I'm actually surprised that he is friends with those people." Lily said, laying back down. Elizabeth looked satisfied and dropped her bag with a thump and sat in her original place, on the left of Lily. She also took her original position of lying down with her eyes shut. Another girl, Molly Staten, who was studying looked up.

"I totally agree with you on that one, Lils. Especially Peter Pettigrew. He's simply awful." Molly said with a laugh. All of the girls laughed.

"That's right! Good one, Molly! He's always following the three of them around…I could have sworn that I caught him drooling when James was showing off the other day." Alexis expressed. The girls laughed again.

"I bet he's got a crush on him!" Babette said loudly.

"Oh yes, he wants him so desperately." Felicia said in the same loud voice.

"Oh James, be mine…I love you so much James…" Shannon Riswald mocked in a perfect impression of Peter. The girls roared with laughter.

"Come now, girls. That's not very kind." Lily froze, recognizing the voice all too well.

"What do you want, Potter?" Babette asked.

"I overheard you all laughing and I was curious to know what it was about. So I thought I would walk over and find out myself." James answered. Lily stood and turned around to face the Marauders. James was standing in front, crossing his arms. Seeing Lily, he immediately ruffled his hair, making it messier.

"Hello there, Evans. Pleasant to see you, as always." James said, now a more mature tone.

"I apologize, but I cannot say the same to you." Lily shot back.

James' hazel eyes narrowed. After a while, he smirked and turned to Felicia. Felicia's face turned to a shade of dark red.

"Hello, Felicia."

"Hi James."

"How are you doing so far today?"

"Wonderful, and yourself?"

"Pretty well, thank you. I wanted to ask you a question, which I'm pretty sure will make your day even more wonderful."

"What's that, James?"

"How would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Felicia hesitated, not knowing quite what to say. She looked around at the other girls, who intently were waiting for an answer. She then turned to Lily, who was looking at her as well. Lily's green eyes narrowed, making them look as if they were on fire.

"Why the hell should I care if you go with him?" Lily said in the coldest tone she could pull off. Heated from anger, Lily grabbed her bag and shoes and quickly walked away from the lake, knowing that James was smirking at her.

**I sincerly hope you liked it and Hopefully the author will type up her next chapter/or post it (i'm not sure if she's written it yet) soon. SO please review, we love you all!**

-See you all later!


	2. Library

**Note from the Author:  
Hey! Thanks for reading my fanfiction so far! I'm starting back at school tomorrow so I won't be able to post all the time. I am having some computer trouble, so my friend Megan is posting these. Thanks for reading and please please PLEASE leave reviews...I'd like to know what you think!**

"Potter is going with Felicia to Hogsmeade." Lily had just been separating the fat from the ham she was served when she heard Alexis say these words. Lily honestly didn't mind. Why should she? She couldn't stand James Potter. "Why should I care?" Lily snapped.

"Watch it, Lils, she's just giving you the facts." Elizabeth said.

"You two should know better than anyone that I hate him!" Lily exclaimed. Elizabeth and Alexis gave Lily concerned looks as many people started turning their heads to see what was going on. "Look, Lils, I don't think you hate him – " Alexis began.

"What is wrong with the two of you? Just – never mind. Just forget it." Lily said hotly, returning to separating the fat from the ham on her dinner plate. A few seats down from Lily, Felicia felt awful. She felt as if she betrayed Lily. She knew that James wanted to make Lily feel jealous, and of who? Of her. Of Felicia. She wanted to apologize to Lily, but she knew that Lily would get angry with her. Instead, she returned to her dinner, not saying a word.

"I want exams to be over." Alexis piped up, trying to change the conversation. "I did at first, but I'm not so sure now." Elizabeth said, looking at the ceiling. "Why on earth do you not want them to be over, Beth? They're dreadful! They are so stressing. Especially for you, because you always think that you're going to fail." Alexis said. "You make it sound like I'm a nervous wreck." Elizabeth replied. "That's exactly my point, Beth." Alexis said, Elizabeth just shrugged.

"What about you, Lils? Do you want exams to be over?" Elizabeth inquired. "I don't know." Lily said quietly.

"Something must be going on, Lily! Why are you so quiet all of a sudden. Then again, you've been quiet throughout dinner!" Alexis exclaimed.

Having enough, Lily grabbed her bag and rushing out of the Great Hall. Alexis called after her once, but to no avail. She didn't try again because she knew it was no use. Lily walked through the halls, thoughts racing through her mind. How dare they think that it bothers me about Potter and Felicia, Lily thought, why would it bother me? Lily came to the library, slamming her hand on it to open it. Seeing there was no one there, she went to the far corner of the library and sat at the table, so if someone did come in they wouldn't see her. To keep her mind off her frustration, Lily pulled out her Transfiguration notes and started reviewing them. He's such a git…why did he ask Felicia to Hogsmeade? That was so humiliating! Lily's green eyes immediately starting to narrow again. He made me look like a fool! A complete and total fool! In front of his friends, and worse, my friends as well!

Lily started spreading the papers out on the desk ferociously. I can't stand him! I hate him! I really hate him! Lily started to spread the papers out on the table more, hot tears starting to come into her eyes. I HATE HIM! I HATE JAMES POTTER! I HATE HIM! Lily finally gave up and crossed her arms on the table, then burying her head into it, sobbing.

"Lily? Is that you? Lily Evans?" the voice sounded extremely familiar, but Lily was too tired to place it. She immediately sat up and wiped her eyes. She turned to find Remus Lupin. Of course it was Remus, how could she not place him? "Oh…Remus you scared me!" Lily said. It was completely relevant that she had been sobbing. She was completely humiliated.

"Were…were you crying?" Remus asked, looking sad for her.

"I – uh –, " Lily looked at Remus, knowing then she couldn't lie, "Yes."

"What's wrong? Was it James, about what he did to you this afternoon?" Remus inquired. He sat his bag down next to the chair that was sitting beside Lily's. He then took a seat in it.

"No – it's just all these exams." Lily lied. Lying to Remus, perhaps the most kind wizard in the world, it was horrible. But she didn't want him to know that she had broken down because of Potter. That would be completely unreasonable.

"Oh, I see." Remus said. Lily could tell that he knew that it was really about James. She knew that he wouldn't, although he tried not to show it. Could she blame him? Even though he was friends with James, that didn't mean that he was as stupid as him.

"It's extremely stressing. I can't believe that another year has gone by…can you? We're going to be in sixth year next year. It's incredible." Lily knew she was babbling. Although it seemed to be okay with Remus, who just smiled.

"I honestly can't either. I can, in a way. It feels like it's taken forever to get to this point. But then again it feels like just yesterday I walked through the front door into Hogwarts that first night." Remus recalled. Lily watched him as he talked. He looked as if he were staring off into space. Although Elizabeth had often reminded Lily, Lily had never noticed how attractive Remus was until now. He wasn't as attractive as Sirius Black, James Potter's bestest friend, who was totally gorgeous…even though he was a huge pain. Remus was attractive in a different way. He had short, dark blonde hair. He had plain, brown eyes that were a bit small. Then again, they were nice. He had a nice smile although, Lily noticed, he often looked tired. Lily smiled when Remus was stating his memories, he was smiling as well.

"I remember when we met you on the train. We were going around because James and Sirius were looking for someone to hex. Then we run into your compartment. There is where we met you and Alexis and Elizabeth." Lily noticed there was a bit of emphasis of Elizabeth's name, although she tried not to act as though she did notice. Lily recalled that day when she met the Marauders. She was definitely foolish, she recalled. Why? When the Marauders walked in, she instantly started to blush and took somewhat of a liking to none other than to James Potter himself. Then she realized his personality – then that like turned to dislike immediately. "But anyway – you know all of that." Remus said, turning back to Lily with a smile on his face.

"Of course I do, Remus, but it's nice to hear again. Honestly, I had completely forgotten about that day. It was nice to hear the details again. Although I know you are friends with him – it was not that nice to meet a certain Mr. Potter that day." Lily said uncomftorably. She knew that Remus was good friends with James, but she needed for him to hear that. She thought Remus would get angry and immediately storm out of the place. However, she was surprised to see his smile grow larger.

"Oh I see, James. He's liked you since he met you, you know." Remus said in a matter of fact kind of way. It was time for Lily to laugh.

"Is that so? So much that he teases me and goes out with other girls – namely some of my friends, just to humiliate me?" Lily said with the laugh. Remus shrugged.

"I suppose that's his way of showing it. However, you can be honest with me, Lily. That really bothered you didn't it?" Remus asked. Lily hesitated for a moment.

"Well – do you promise when you tell those weird friends of yours that you won't twist my words?" "Who said I was going to tell them?" That statement made Lily smiled, she continued:

"Yes, it bothered me. Nevertheless, not in the sort of way Potter would like it to bother me. It bothered me the fact that he disgraced me in front of my friends. He may think that jealousy works, but I do not. Especially not with Felicia Catkins. The fact that he went for her – it's just cruel."

"The fact he went for Felicia Catkins is cruel? How so?"

"Oh come on, Remus! I thought that everyone knew that Felicia is practically in love with Potter. It gets rather obnoxious at times…but I feel kind of sorry for her in a way." "Sorry for her"

"You said yourself he's only doing this to make me jealous."

"I suppose I can see your point. But I assure you that James didn't know that Felicia – um – fancies him." "How could he not notice that"

"I suppose guys don't figure out this sort of thing. I honestly had no idea"

This was relief for Lily – on Elizabeth's part. If Remus knew that Elizabeth had a crush on him, she would be mortified. After this, there was a bit of an awkward silence. "So – do you want to study Transfiguration while you – um," Remus looked around the table with a confused expression on his face,

"Have it all out and ready?"

"That would be okay." Lily laughed.


	3. The Encounter

Chapter Three 

"So he didn't drop any hints?" Elizabeth asked with a nervous tone. Her big, blue eyes had fear written all over them.

"Drop hints about what, Beth?" Lily asked.

"You know…that he figured out I like him or something?" Elizabeth continued. Lily just rolled her eyes.

"Oh _Beth_…for the fifteenth time, NO!" Lily exclaimed. Elizabeth gave Lily a look like she was taken aback.

"Alright then, Lils. That's all you needed to say." Elizabeth said.

"I did – AGAIN." Lily started looking around for her diary. She rummaged through her desk drawer near her bed, with no luck. She looked under her pillow and bed, still no luck.

"Have you seen my diary?" Lily asked Alexis and Elizabeth. Alexis hopped onto her bed and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. Elizabeth grabbed her pajamas and headed for the bathroom.

"I haven't seen it in awhile." Elizabeth said as she shut the bathroom door.

"I haven't seen it either." Alexis said as she turned off the lamp next to her bed. Lily had the same confused look for a few moments. With a sudden bang, Lily's head shot up.

"Oh damn!"

"What is it?" Alexis shot up in her bed with an alert look on her face.

"I think I left my diary down in the Common Room!" Lily exclaimed with a terrified expression. Alexis rolled her eyes, taking her ponytail down and starting to brush her long, straight, dark brown hair.

"Oops – I thought it was something important." Alexis said.

"Shut up! I'll be right back." Lily replied in a frustrated voice.

Lily creeped to the top of the stairwell leading down to the Gryffindor Common Room. She was shivering from the cold, stone steps. She crossed her arms, feeling the goose bumps start to come up on her arms. _There can't be anyone downstairs at this hour – it's one in the morning_, Lily thought. Lily started going down the stairs, her bare feet quietly echoing. She turned the corner and saw a head. Lily immediately retrieved behind the doorframe, blushing madly. She was praying that it wasn't a boy. It didn't matter, what was she thinking! _My diary should be in the corner, so I should be out of here in no time. Whoever it is won't even notice me._ Lily tip-toed from behind the door frame to the desk practically next to it. She looked on top of the desk where the diary should have been, nothing. She frowned, looking under it, still nothing. Getting a bit frantic, Lily accidentally stubbed her toe on the bottom of the chair in front of the desk and then let out a cry of pain. The figure from the couch immediately shot up. Lily, remembering she was only in a camisole and pajama bottoms, crossed her arms quickly. She especially needed to cross them because she realized that her hair was in a tight bun, which would not cover her up much. Lily slowly looked up to see who it was, horrified to find it was the last person she wanted to see her in her pajamas.

"Potter! What are you doing up so late?" Lily exclaimed.

"Good – wait – is it night or morning? I'd say morning…anyway…you're looking – well." James said with a smirk on his face, after looking Lily up and down. Lily looked at his wardrobe. He was in his pajamas as well. He was wearing a plain navy blue t-shirt that was fitted, not tight, but fitted. This showed his frame, which was nice. He had pajama bottoms on as well. Even though Lily hated him, she had to admit that he looked pretty hot.

"Don't you dare look at me when I'm dressed like this!" Lily said.

"I'm sorry, Evans, but I can't do that."

"What? Why ever not?"

"I was taught that it is not proper manners to not look at the person as you are talking to them."

"Since when has manners mattered to you?"

"I have to admit, not much. But I try to use them when I am around you."

"Me? ME? Why am I a special case?"

"Because I'm trying to get you to like me, of course." _Thank Merlin it's pitch black except the fire_, Lily thought. Right then her cheeks were as red as the fire. She knew he couldn't really see her though, so she tried to disguise her voice.

"What are you doing down here?" Lily said, changing the subject.

"Reading the Daily Prophet."

"Why?"

"Just to catch up on the rubbish it's putting in there."

"Rubbish, what are you talking about?"

"You can't honestly think that the Daily Prophet isn't rubbish!"

"Why would I think that!"

"They just tell you what you want to hear. They don't tell you the facts. People need to know what's really going on in the Wizarding World, but we honestly have no idea."

"I think _that's_ rubbish."

"You just wait and see, Evans…just wait…"

"You are ridiculous and paranoid."

"No, I'm not. I just know what is going to happen."

"Did you actually pay attention in Divination for once?"

"Of course I didn't! Who do you think I am…Remus? Or you?"

"Whatever…I can't believe I'm asking you, but have you seen a dark, leather-bound book down here? It has my initials in the bottom, right hand corner – "

"Oh, you mean this?" James reached down and took something from the couch and stood back up, holding it up. It was Lily's diary. Lily immediately became enraged.

"You beast! You read my diary!" Lily yelled.

"Quiet down, Evans! It's one in the morning!"

"I don't care what time it is, you read my diary!"

"No, I didn't read your diary. I had it here so I wouldn't forget it. I was going to put it in my bag and give it to you in the morning."

"Why didn't you just leave it on the desk?"

"I thought someone would do what you are accusing me of, I thought they would read it." Lily thought it was a kind gesture, but she still couldn't stand him. She walked over to James, who had been standing behind the couch the whole time, and snatched the diary.

"You are impossible." Lily was about to turn away but she wanted to say something nastier, although it hadn't hit her what to say yet. James was smirking.

"What could you _possibly_ be smirking at?" Lily asked in an annoyed tone.

"My dear Ms. Evans, is this just the reflection of the fire, or are you a deep shade of red?" James moved closer to her. Lily looked up into his hazel eyes. She could easily melt if she wasn't so stubborn. He looked really hot, why did he have to be such a git? Lily wanted to look somewhere – anywhere other than his eyes, but she had to be firm. She could think of nothing else to say. So quickly before she even gave thought to it, Lily smacked James.

"I'm not blushing because I like you…I'm just mad as hell." With that she went upstairs to her room, slamming the door.


	4. Stubborn

**Hey there! I'm practically celebrating here because my computer isn't because a weirdo anymore. So I decided to post TWO chapters! I hope you enjoy! PLEASE review. If you have criticism (well...do it nicely) then I'd like to hear it so I can improve!  
Thanks!**

Chapter Four

"He read your diary?" Elizabeth asked. It was pitch black in Lily, Elizabeth and Alexis' room. They were staying up talking, since they did not have a morning exam. Lily was laying back and staring at the ceiling. She knew that Elizabeth was lying on her side and Alexis was sitting up. These were always the positions of her and her best friends as they talked in the darkness.

"Yes, he did." Lily replied.

"And he even admitted to it!" Alexis exclaimed.

"Well…he didn't admit to it…"

"Then how do you know he did?" Elizabeth asked.

"This is Potter we're talking about, Beth…it's out of the question. He definitely read the diary."

"Well…I mean…you can _definitely_ tell us, Lils…you don't have a secret love for Potter or anything? Then he definitely would have found out and – " Lily sat straight up at Alexis' remark.

"WHAT ON EARTH! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TWO THAT I CAN'T STAND POTTER!" Lily yelled.

"Would you calm down, Lils! There _are_ some people who don't have morning exams." Elizabeth said in a paranoid tone.

"Then don't say things like that to me." Lily said, lying on her back again, looking at the ceiling. She could her a loud yawn and knew that it had to be Alexis.

"I'm going to sleep. I'm simply exhausted." Alexis said.

"Goodnight then, Alex." Lily said.

"'Night, darling." Elizabeth said.

Within five minutes, Lily could hear Alexis' soft snores. For some reason, Alexis' snores made her smile. She knew it was completely ridiculous to have thoughts such as that, but they did. They made her feel as if it were confirmed that she was at home – at Hogwarts. Knowing that she would have to go back home in about two weeks, not hearing them as much, it pained Lily. Lily's mind then wandered back to what James had said earlier. What was he talking about? What attacks did he mean? Was he talking about Voldemort again? Or maybe some other crackpot had risen to power as well? Perhaps that person was trying to do better than Voldemort? It all seemed to make sense, but then at the same time, none at all. Lily then thought about what she knew she really wanted to think about really. And that was how hot James had looked. _Oh, I'm going insane, _Lily thought_, Potter looking good? I _must _be going insane._ Lily closed her eyes and pictured him and how it was right after she snatched her diary and James had caught her blushing. She pictured James in his pajamas. He looked really good, indeed. She wanted to touch his arms, or maybe his chest, even…

"Lily?"

Lily nearly jumped out of her bed. She was a bit embarrassed. _Idiot, she doesn't know what you're thinking._

"Yes, Beth?"

"Do you think Remus likes me?" Lily knew that Elizabeth had been wanting to ask this question for quite some time now. She recalled how Remus had acted when he said Elizabeth's name. Lily smiled.

"Actually – I think he does."


	5. A Surprise

**Hey all...  
I'm currently doing "Wizard of Oz" and it's driving me insane. I can't wait for it to be over because it's seriously just a pain in the rear. I basically just sit there for an hour and a half doing nothing - waiting for the foursome to get to Oz. Our Dorothy sucks - the understudy's good. But the actual Dorothy is never hear. The play currently sucks. I'm just really frustrated and a bit stressed with school coming back. I have tests all over the place this week. So I can only post one chapter. Sorry!  
REVIEW PLEAAAAASE.**

Chapter Five

The sunlight hit Lily's eyes and she immediately awoke. She turned to see that it was 11:30 in the morning. She sat up to see if Elizabeth or Alexis were still asleep. Elizabeth's bed was empty, she leaned a bit to the right and saw that a lump in Alexis' bed. The very loud snore that just escaped Alexis confirmed Lily's guess.

Lily threw off the covers and yawned as she rubbed her head. She walked into the bathroom and looked up into the mirror. She squinted at her reflection. She never wore her hair out of her face. She liked wearing her hair in a bun. You could see her face, and most of all, her eyes seemed to pop more. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth and put on her robes. Her wet, dark red hair made her collar soaking wet. She walked out of the bathroom and saw Alexis was asleep. Lily thought it was incredible for her to sleep so long. Lily put her wet hair into a bun and walked downstairs into the Gryffindor Common Room. There was a small crowd of girls talking. She caught sight of Elizabeth on the same couch where she had the encounter with James early that morning. She smiled and walked over to the couch, plopping down next to her. Elizabeth turned to her with a smile on her face. Her long, blonde hair in a braid on one side.

"Good morning, Lily! How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully, Elizabeth! How about yourself?"

"Perfectly."

"So…have you had breakfast yet?" Elizabeth turned to Lily with a look of astonishment.

"Are you joking? Of course I've had breakfast! It's time for lunch now!"

"Do you think we should leave Alexis though?"

"Do you even _know_ Alexis Nicholson? She'll be dead until one." Elizabeth said. Lily laughed. The two of them got up to leave.

"I apologize for kind of keeping you awake. I'm sure you were exhausted with that appalling encounter with Potter." Elizabeth said.

"I don't mind. You need someone to talk to about your guy. Seeing as I'm the only one. I'm guessing that either Alexis is too tired or doesn't care?" Elizabeth smiled at that.

"That's pretty much it!"

Lily and Elizabeth walked through the doors to the Great Hall. They walked over to the Gryffindor table with the rest of the fifth years that hadn't arrived back from their morning exams yet. Lily sat next to Babette and Shannon. Elizabeth sat right across from Lily, next to an empty seat and then Molly, who was next to her boyfriend, Arthur Weasley. Molly was studying from her Transfiguration book, but looked up at Lily and Elizabeth with a smile.

"Hello girls!" Molly greeted cheerfully.

"Hello Molly…Arthur…Babette." Lily greeted in return. She grabbed a plate and a meal of spaghetti and garlic bread automatically appeared. She grabbed her fork and happy started twirling her spaghetti.

"So Lily…what exactly happened with you and Potter last night?" Lily immediately stopped twirling. Elizabeth choked on her garlic bread with a slight smile on her face. Lily looked up at Elizabeth, glaring.

"What did you say?" Lily asked, her face turning red. Elizabeth held up her hands.

"Hey now, it wasn't me." Elizabeth defended.

"It wasn't," Babette shook her head, "It was Potter himself."

"What exactly did Potter say, Babette?" Lily said with a slight smile, tearing her bread into quarters.

"Just that you two 'had an interesting time last night'." Babette said with a giggle.

"Anything in particular?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did he mention anything that went on?"

"He just mentioned that you and he –"

"PRAY TELL, WHERE IS POTTER NOW?" Lily exclaimed, immediately getting out of her chair.

"Lily, calm down…" Elizabeth said calmly.

"I'll see you later." Lily told Elizabeth.

Lily stomped out of the Great Hall. _Where does he get the nerve to say things such as that about me?_ Lily thought angrily. She went up all the changing staircases and finally arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room. The Common Room was completely deserted. Lily knew that James would be there any minute. For the time being, she would wait. Lily plopped herself down on the couch. Lily was steaming. She knew that James would say something. There was nothing to say, though! She went downstairs when he was there…big deal! That did not give him any right to go around to people and say things that were false. Lily then pictured again how good James looked the night before. _I _was _blushing like Elizabeth would be if Remus said she was pretty_, Lily thought. And that was a lot of blushing. She was beside herself. Just because he looked really good last night didn't mean that he wasn't a complete and total jerk. She couldn't stand him. That was a fact.

There was a moving noise coming from the hole leading into the Common Room. Lily stood up and turned to the hole. Sure enough, James came through – all alone. He turned and smirked at the sight of Lily.

"Hello there, Evans." Lily wished it were dark because she felt like she needed to blush so badly. But she had to be stubborn.

"Shut up, you pompous git." Lily spat. James, for the first time ever, wiped the smirk off his face.

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me. You're a terrible person. You think you can say things that aren't true – things that are in you _fantasies_. Your fantasies are false, Potter. And whether you like it or not, they will never come true."

James gave a somewhat puzzling look. He was frowning, like he was angry, but Lily could clearly tell that he was a bit hurt. Her thoughts flashed back to what Remus said. _What was it again?_ Lily thought. _"Oh I see, James. He's liked you since he met you, you know." _That was it. Was Remus right? Or was it some kind of bet that maybe James could get Lily to like him by the end of Hogwarts? With James a member of the Marauders, who knew?

"Fantasies?" was all that James could choke out of himself.

"Yes, you idiot, fantasies. You're so obnoxious! I wish you would leave me alone! All you do is make me miserable! Honestly – your _presence_ makes me miserable," that's when the next words dropped out of Lily's mouth before she even made sense of it, "Why can't you just be like Remus?"

Lily wanted to cover her mouth. Did she honestly just say that? _What does that mean? Do I like Remus or something?_ Lily thought. James' gorgeous hazel eyes were wide and full of anger.

"Remus? You want – you want me to be more like Remus?" James croaked.

Once Lily heard them aloud again, they made total sense. Last night, Remus made her feel much better. She was smiling and laughing, just enjoying herself. Yet, he didn't have any feelings for her. Did she have feelings for him? She didn't really know. All she knew was that the main guy who had a crush on her, James, was a jerk.

"You heard me. I didn't spend last night – _romancing _with you or anything. I distinctly remember just a short conversation with you. You know who I spent _most of my night_ with? Remus. Yes, Remus Lupin. Even though you, Black and that ridiculous Pettigrew don't make much of him, he's a great person. You will be lucky if you can measure to be half as good as him. He made me feel happy. When I'm around you, I feel complete and utter hate. I just wish that you would leave me alone. But you won't, and it's really pissing me off. Don't you understand? I can't stand you, Potter. I heard you liked me quite a bit. I seriously doubt it. I don't care if you're hurt by this reality check. I can assure you of one thing though. I will NEVER…" the words hit James like a ton of bricks, "…never…care for you."

James was wanting so badly for her to see his hurt. But he knew he had to cover it up, acting like it was just an everyday thing. He gave her his usual smirk. Seeing it, made Lily more angry than ever. She took the Daily Prophet and threw it at his face. At that, she walked up the staircase to her dorm. At the top of the stairs stood Alexis. She looked pretty. Her hair was parted on the side, the smaller side up in a clip. She even, as Lily could tell, had a small bit of make-up on her face. However, she was not smiling. Lily smiled at her, though.

"Alexis, you look gorgeous today!" Alexis didn't reply, Lily gave her a puzzled look.

"Alexis, what's going on?" After a long pause, Alexis spoke.

"You better no do that to Elizabeth. Do you hear me, Lily? Don't you dare."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Remus, Lily. I'm talking about that speech that you just gave Potter. Sure he can be a real ass, Lily. But that was really harsh. Yesterday's small speech, sticking up for Snape…you know…telling Potter how arrogant he is? That was fine – it was necessary. But that one you just gave was way overboard."

"Alexis…it's just Potter. He was smiling when I was finished."

"Guys are pretty good at covering emotions, Lily."

With that, Alexis went down the stairs, at a fast rate. Lily felt like she needed to explain herself. She started to follow Alexis down the steps.

"Alexis…listen to me about the Remus thing…"

Alexis reach the bottom of the stair and kept moving. Lily stayed on the bottom stair. She was about to explain herself when she realized what Alexis was doing. James was lying on the couch. Alexis strode over to him.

"Get up, Potter."

"What the – "

"Get up now."

James got up with the most confused look Lily had ever seen. All of a sudden Alexis kissed James. And it wasn't a peck or anything. It was a long and involved kiss. Lily's mouth was wide open. When Alexis let go, she smirked at Lily and walked out. James stared after her and then turned to Lily, whose mouth was still wide open. James smirked at Lily and sat back on the couch. Lily went upstairs and fell back asleep on her bed.


	6. The Werewolf and The Stag

Chapter Six

"Lily…Lily, are you alright?"

Lily's eyes slowly fluttered open. Elizabeth and Alexis were standing over her with looks of concern clearly etched on their faces. Lily frowned, _Was it all a dream?_

"What happened…did something happen?" Lily asked in a weary tone. She sat up on her pillow and looked at her best friends, concern still on their faces.

"Lily…look at yourself. You are covered in sweat. You were tossing as well. I got annoyed at first but then I started to wonder if you were having a fit or something. It was pretty scary." Alexis reported.

"Are you mad at me?" was all Lily could think of to ask Alexis. Alexis gave her a confused look.

"No, Lils…why would I be mad at you?"

Knowing that it had all been a horrible dream, Lily flopped back down on her pillow.

"Never mind…it was all a dream." Lily said. Elizabeth and Alexis exchanged confused looks.

"See you in the morning, Lily." Elizabeth and Alexis said.

"Good night." Lily replied.

Lily turned on her side toward the window, where a full moon's light struck her eyes. She was deep in thought. This had confused Lily. Why did she have that dream? Did it mean anything? Was it possible that she cared for Remus as more than a friend? That was impossible…she did not get chills all over or something whenever she saw him. It was just…Remus. Not that he wasn't anyone special, but he was just like a brother to her. Then another horrid thought occurred to her: _What if Alexis likes James?_ That was impossible. Just this past afternoon, Alexis did not do much to stick up for James as Elizabeth had for Remus. She called Lily crazy for not liking him, but that's all. It took Lily about an hour to get back to sleep.

Lily awoke to the loudest ringing she had ever heard in her life. She quickly sat up in bed and looked around. Knowing that her hair had to be a total mess now, Lily quickly took down her bun. Her hair came down in curls from the bun. She tucked her hair behind her ears to keep it out of her face so she could see where the ringing was coming from. She realized that Elizabeth and Alexis were out of bed already. _Where are they?_ Lily thought. She went to the door and peeked out. She then realized that someone in the Gryffindor Common Room was ringing the obnoxious bell. She looked and realized that it was almost evening. Lily quickly dressed into only her plaid skirt and her long-sleeved, white collared shirt. She went downstairs to see that it was Professor McGonagall ringing the bell. In the room were many Gryffindors – some fifth years, mostly sixth and seventh year. Some were in their pajamas still. Lily tried to find Elizabeth and Alexis, but realized they were taking their Muggle Studies exam. She looked around for someone she could stand next to and quickly spotted Molly and Shannon. She went over to them and stood between them.

"Do either of you know what's going on here?" Lily inquired to them loudly, trying to speak over the ringing.

"We're not sure yet, she hasn't said." Shannon replied louder than Lily.

After what seemed like forever and a day, Professor McGonagall stopped ringing the bell so she could talk. Lily could hear many of the same question: "What's going on?" or "Why is she up there?" or "Why the hell did she wake me up with that loathsome bell?"

"Good morning, students of Gryffindor. I must inform you all about a matter. The ministry did not want us to tell all you students, but Professor Dumbledore and myself thought it would be for the best. You see – a Gryffindor student's parents were killed last evening by Voldemort. You may have wanted to give her your condolences, but I am afraid that will not be possible. She left early this morning and went back her home to live with her aunt and uncle. However, if you do know Felicia Catkins…please try to write her a letter and let her know that you are all thinking of her. I am afraid that she will not be coming back to Hogwarts to finish her schooling. The Ministry thought that she would bring trouble to Hogwarts, so we had to let her go. That is all."

Lily froze in the spot between Molly and Shannon. How could this be happening? She knew that Voldemort was rising to power – but this? James had been right the night before. How could she be so stupid? Of course he was right. The public wanted to hear that everything would be alright. Was the encounter with James last night part of the dream? Or did it really happen? She would have to talk to Elizabeth and Alexis and see if she really had that conversation with them or she dreamt it. So many questions were going through her mind. She turned to Molly.

"What did Felicia's parents do – for a living, I mean." Lily asked.

"They owned an antique store in Diagon Alley. It doesn't make any sense. Why would he kill them? They are such nice people. They're warm and loving…I thought this would be impossible to happen." Molly said quietly.

"Felicia loved her parents so much. She was really close to them…she must be having an awful time." Shannon commented.

Lily had to get out of here. She had to find some place to go to clear her head. There was too much depression amongst these people, all mourning for Felicia Catkins' parents. She felt awful for Felicia, but she didn't want to mourn.

"I've got to go." Lily said. Molly and Shannon looked up.

"Where are you going?" Shannon asked.

"I don't know…I've just got to get out of here…"

"You mean – out of this room or Hogwarts?" Molly exclaimed.

Lily didn't get to respond. She walked quietly out of the room and went down the halls. Before she knew it, she was running. She was running away from what was happening in the world. She couldn't believe that James was right. She heard what Voldemort was after – half-bloods…or the harsh word: mudblood. _I'm a mudblood…he's after me…me…oh no, I'm going to die!_ Thoughts were racing through Lily's mind so fast that she thought she was going to explode. Usually Lily would have gone to the library to clear her head, but she couldn't right now. The lake – that's right…the lake. That's the one place where she felt she could be. She ran at top speed outside. She ran through the green grass, over the hill. When she ran she could feel the somewhat chilly June morning air on her cheeks. She ran to the shore of the lake, tripped over a shell and fell flat on her face. She did not even bother to move, although she knew she probably cut her face. She sobbed into the cold sand. Then she realized what she wanted to do. She wanted to go into the Forbidden Forest. If she died that summer, she would have never been in there. She was always curious about the forest, but was too scared to get in trouble, so she would hold herself bad. She stood up, not even bothering to wipe the sand off her shirt and skirt and starting walking in that direction.

After a few minutes, she approached the front of the Forbidden Forest. _I have to go in_… Lily thought to herself. This was the one thing she had wanted to do before she died, the one thing. Without hesitation after thinking that, Lily walked in. She looked up at the tall trees that were so close together. Even though it had a scary vibe about it, Lily thought the forest was rather pretty in its own way. She was walking deeper into the forest, not even realizing she was. Before Lily knew it, she was lost. She turned back into the direction she thought she came and started running. She ran faster and faster until she realized that she should have been going in the opposite direction. She turned around…not knowing which way to go. She started to cry, hoping some miracle would happen. Feeling completely overwhelmed, Lily lay down on the ground and put her face into the tree roots. A few minutes later, when Lily thought things couldn't get any worse, there was a loud cry. Lily didn't know what to make of it. She stood up swiftly and started to look around. Where was the cry coming from? And more importantly, who or what was making the cry? The cry rang through the forest again, Lily turned to the left, thinking it was coming in that direction, even though she wasn't sure. What was it? The cry rang out again. Lily started to cry, but silently. The tears were rolling down her cheeks without a sound. Then the cry came yet again. Lily noticed that the cry sounded as if it were coming closer.

Lily waited for a few moments for something to happen…anything. She froze in the same position for what seemed like ten minutes and thought it was all over. Perhaps she was just dreaming. After all, she was exhausted. She smiled with relief. _Nothing's there…nothing's there…_

Then, all at once, something jumped on top of her and knocked her down flat on her face yet again. She looked up to see that it was a werewolf. Lily screamed at the top of her lungs. She rolled over, got to her feet and ran faster than she had ever run in her life. She didn't know where she was going, just that it would be away from the werewolf. She was panting from running so fast and she desperately wanted to stop, but she knew she couldn't. She kept running, feeling herself lose speed. The werewolf was now so close that it was snapping at her. Lily then tripped over an enormous tree root and fell. Her knee hit the sharp edge of a rock and she let out a cry of pain. She tumbled over the rock, scratching her face as well. She knew that now she couldn't run, and she was terrified. She turned to face the werewolf who was less than ten feet from her.

Lily tried to push herself away from the werewolf with her arms but she didn't have enough energy. _I'm going to die. Not from Voldemort, but from a werewolf._

The werewolf came closer and Lily closed her eyes. Unexpectedly, she heard a loud thump and the werewolf now let out a cry of pain. Lily opened her eyes to see a large, shaggy dog fighting with the werewolf. The werewolf kicked the dog with great force and the dog fell a few feet away, whining from the pain. Lily knew that she was now done for. Then the miracle came. A great, white stag appeared out of nowhere, putting Lily on its back. Lily put her arms around its neck and it galloped faster than Lily could ever run. This was the thrill of Lily's life. She turned her head and saw the werewolf after them, but a great distance behind them. Lily smiled and laughed aloud, which rang through the forest. This made the stag seem to go faster.

Lily's legs were swung over on one side of the stag, her arms around its neck. Her hair was practically standing up from going so fast. Lily turned back around and saw that the werewolf was nowhere in sight. Then, to Lily's dismay, the stag and her reached the end of the forest. The stag gently let her off its back. Lily stood on one leg, knowing she could barely walk with the other. The stag turned around to return to the forest. Lily peered at it in awe.

"No wait!" Lily called.

As if the stag could understand, it turned around and faced Lily. Lily slowly limped up to it. She rose her hand to touch its nose. She hesitated, but the stag looked as if it wouldn't mind. She smiled and pet its nose.

"You're such an amazing creature." Lily said softly.

She continued to pet the stag until, out of nowhere, the werewolf tackled the stag to the ground.

"NO!" Lily screamed.

Tears were pooling in Lily's eyes, quickly coming down. She watched the stag, helpless as the werewolf tackled it. Lily quickly looked on the ground and found a large rock. Out of anger, she chucked it at the werewolf's head. The werewolf turned on her, then luckily; Lily could hear other werewolves crying out. The werewolf turned to the cries and ran back into the forest.

Lily ran to the stag that had a deep gash on its stomach. She stroked its face, looking deep into the stag's eyes as they glistened in the night. She then had an idea…

Lily looked around the grounds in the late night, seeing no one. She turned back to the stag with a smile.

"Come on! Follow me!" Lily exclaimed. She stood up and stepped a few feet back. The stag rose slowly and stared at her. Lily ran. It took awhile, but she could then hear the stag galloping behind her. She smiled at the sound of it soft galloping on the green grass.

Lily and the stag reached the lake. Lily took of her shoes and stockings. She went into the lake and turned to the stag and motioned for it to lay down right next to the lake. The stag obeyed. Lily smiled and grabbed handfuls of water, soaking the gash. After doing that for a few minutes, another idea struck Lily. The stag did not have a very large stomach, Lily had long legs. She grabbed her stockings and tied them around the stag, covering the gash.

Lily heard something and turned back to Hogwarts. She could see that the lights were going off for another night of rest. Disappointed, Lily pet the stag softly.

"Goodbye."

Lily put on her shoes and ran back in the school's direction. When she reached the outside of the hallway in Hogwarts that was close to Gryffindor, Lily turned back to the lake. The stag was gone.

Lily smiled and went inside.


	7. Cleaning the Wounds

**Hey all!  
Well - this is a super long chapter. Just to give you a warning. It took forever and a day for me to write it... I honestly stayed up until 2 o'clock in the morning writing this (not on a school night...haha). No joke. It's totally my favorite and it was really fun to write.  
Leave some reviews to let me know what you think!**

Chapter Seven 

Lily tiptoed quietly up to the Fat Lady and muttered, "Cockroach Clusters." The Fat Lady opened her eyes and looked down at Lily in disgust.

"What are you doing up so late?" she said wickedly with a scowl.

"That's none of your business," Lily replied coldly, "I said the password, so let me in."

"Fine."

Lily looked down to see the porthole and went through it. She quickly looked up after she went through to see if any other Gryffindors were in the Common Room. There was no one. She slowly went over to the couch and collapsed on top of it. _What a beautiful animal that was. I wonder if I'll ever see it again._ Lily closed her eyes and pictured the stag and wanted to touch it again. However, as much as she had loved the animal, it had kind of given her the chills. There was something so – _human_ about the animal. Something about it seemed as if it were a person that was communicating with her. _I am exhausted, that is all_, Lily reassured herself.

Suddenly, there was a rustle at the porthole. Lily turned her head, eyes wide, to the porthole to see what it was. On the other hand, perhaps she was just delirious. But she wasn't delirious. Emerging from the porthole was none other than Sirius Black. He was clutching his nose, looking at the ground.

"What the hell are you doing up so late?" Lily hissed, getting up from the couch and moving to stand a few feet in front of him. Sirius raised his head and shook it so he could move his hair out of his eyes. He still was holding his nose. Although he was doing so, Lily could tell that he was smirking at her.

"Why must you show so much animosity toward me, my dear Miss Evans?" Sirius said with a mature tone.

"Because you're a pain, that's why," Lily crossed her arms; "You didn't answer my question." Lily then could tell that Sirius' smirk was growing wider.

"I'll tell you what I am doing up so late when you tell me." Sirius said.

"You know nothing of manners. Don't you know that is no way to speak to a lady?" Lily said, with an uncomftorable look on her face.

"Ah, I see. So you were doing something that you weren't supposed to be doing?" Sirius said.

Lily, who had just been looking at the ground while she was shuffling her feet, looked up at Sirius. She had always wondered why James was the leader of the Marauders. She had wondered this since she found out that was their "official name". Honestly, she thought Sirius Black was the best looking, by far. Many people such as Felicia or Babette would disagree, saying it would definitely be James by a long shot. Nevertheless, Sirius had a naturally elegant look about him that no student at Hogwarts could achieve, as far as she could tell. If James had looked at Lily like this last night for no reason, she would have not held back. She would have kissed him immediately. However, Sirius was just plain ticking her off.

"I was not doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing…and would you please take your hand off your nose! You look absolutely ridiculous!" Lily said in an annoyed tone.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that. I broke my nose, and it would be quite a nasty sight…_for a lady to see_." Sirius stated, shaking his head and still smirking.

"How about I repair your broken nose and I won't tell Professor McGonagall that you were not in bed at this hour?" Lily bargained.

"That doesn't matter much to me, Evans. You see – I could then tell Professor McGonagall that _you_ were out tonight as well." Sirius said, looking pleased with himself that he had thought of this.

"How did you know I was out tonight?" Lily said, raising her eyebrows.

"I have my ways." Sirius said. Lily scowled, then thought of something.

"I'll repair your broken nose and not tell Professor McGonagall about you, if you don't tell her about me being out. If you tell her…" Lily stopped and smiled. A look of pure horror struck Sirius' face.

"What will happen if I tell her?" Sirius croaked.

"Then I will have to tell Babette Overly that you have certain feelings for her." Lily finished.

"You wouldn't."

"I would – that is if you break our little deal."

"You know that the one girl I truly can't stand besides you is Babette Overly. You know that for a fact, you do, Evans!"

"That's why it struck me! I'm so good at this! And I'm sure she would be pleased to hear it…knowing how much she fancies you…"

Sirius scowled.

"Fine."

"Alright then," Lily said with a smile, "Go over to the couch."

"Couch? Why couch – there was nothing said about couch!"

"You imbecile…I need to clean your nose off first!"

"Oh, right…"

Sirius walked over to the couch with a look of fear on his face, as if he had no idea of what to expect. Lily went up into the bathroom in her dorm. She grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with water. She squeezed some of the water out. She quietly went downstairs to find Sirius still on the couch, straight as a board. She could tell he was truly terrified. She went over in front of the couch to face Sirius.

"Lower your hand, Black." Lily said plainly.

"It's pretty grotesque…are you sure –"

"LOWER IT NOW!"

Sirius immediately did so. For the first time ever, Lily could say Sirius was right about something. The nose was covered with blood. More noticeably, it was extremely crooked. On the other hand, he still looked extremely handsome, as usual. The fact made Lily sick to her stomach. _If my nose ever looked like this, I'd be identical to a pig_.

"This is going to hurt really bad…just to warn you."

"I don't feel pain, Evans."

Lily shrugged. She got on the couch, on Sirius' left side. She was standing on her knees so she could reach him. She took the washcloth and gently washed the blood from his cheeks and under his nose.

"Now it's going to hurt." Lily warned.

She started at the top of his nose and cleansed it. As she moved further down Sirius' elegant nose, he closed his eyes. He cringed from the pain. When Lily finished cleaning, Sirius' nose was purple from bruising. Lily rushed to her bag in her dorm and retrieved a book, looking for a spell that could repair Sirius' nose. She found one, recited it, and Sirius' nose went back to how it's supposed to be. Lily handed him a mirror and he looked in it, having a look of pleasure on his face.

"Wow…I have to admit it – you're good." Sirius said with a smile.

Lily blushed, "Thanks."

Sirius handed her the mirror back with a smile. He moved to stand, but when he used his left arm to help himself get up, he squinted with pain. Lily gave him a puzzle look.

"Is the pain still there?" Lily inquired.

"No…it's my arm." Sirius answered.

"I'll clean that too." Lily said, reaching for the washcloth once again.

"No, it's fine. I'll just go to bed."

"I insist. What's going to happen is that the wound will get infected and you will have to go to Madam Pomfrey. That will lead to her asking how it happened. Then the bargain will be all for nothing."

Sirius gave her a look of defeat and sat back down. There was no look on his face when Lily came over. She knew what she had to do to clean this one. She hesitated a bit.

"May I?" Lily asked, motioning towards Sirius' robes.

Sirius nodded. Lily thought he would make some sort of joke out of this, saying how she "wanted him" or something. She was totally ready for it. But Sirius looked solemn about it. Lily slowly took off his black robes, so she wouldn't hurt him. She folded them and lay them aside. She then took off Sirius' tie, and placed it with his black robes. Then there was the long-sleeved, white, collared shirt that was in front of her. She could see several gashes on his left arm. She gave him a look of hesitation while preparing herself to remove his shirt. Sirius was staring into the fire, but smirked, knowing she was concerned.

"I won't tell James," Sirius simply said.

Lily smiled and then felt comftorble. She never thought she would be in this position, but she was. She reached so she could unbutton his shirt. She slowly did so, stopping between each button to give a light breath, just so Sirius couldn't hear her and make a joke of how nervous she was. After what seemed like forever, she parted the shirt and took it off. She was relieved to see an undershirt. But she couldn't help noticing how good Sirius looked. While James was pale, Sirius was not. He was not extremely tan, but not pale. He was fair-skinned, but not pale. She folded the shirt and put it with the robes and tie. She then took the washcloth and wiped the blood that was coming from the gashes.

"You can tell me, I promise I won't tell. What happened to you?" Lily asked. Sirius turned to her.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you." was how he responded.

Lily pictured the stag that she had met tonight, that acted like a human. She was ready to hear just about anything.

"I'll tell you what happened to me." Lily said, while wiping the blood.

"You go first…you might faint from what I have to say." Sirius said with a smile.

"Don't you dare laugh at me." Lily said, smiling.

"I won't." Sirius said, still with the smile. Lily looked at him and saw that he was smiling, but serious all the same. She decided to tell him.

"…And then the stag rescued me. It was such – such a mysterious animal. There was something strange about it. I can't put my finger on it but it was almost like it was human. Like – someone I had known for years. It was amazing. I hope I get to meet it again someday. So that's that. Now tell me yours."

"I don't know…I don't think it's such a good idea."

"Oh come on! Please…I told you mine, so you have to!"

"Well…okay."

Lily looked up at him, still wiping.

"Yes…?" she said after awhile. Sirius turned to her with an extremely serious look on his face. One that Lily had never seen before.

"I got attacked by a werewolf." Lily stopped wiping and looked up at him.

"In the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yeah…and I saw you, too." Lily lowered the washcloth and looked at him with a somewhat scared expression on her face.

"That's not funny…stop it."

"I tried to rescue you."

Tears were forming in Lily's eyes. She had just spilled her heart to him. And he was making fun of her for what she said? This was cruel treatment. Just utterly cruel treatment. The tears were coming down her cheeks, she didn't even care. Sirius reached over with his right hand and wiped the tears. Lily quickly stood up and backed away from him.

"Get away from me, you snake."

"There was a dog, wasn't there, Lily?"

Lily stopped short. This wasn't because it was the first time Sirius had ever called her Lily. It was because she hadn't mentioned the dog. She honestly hadn't even remembered the dog until now. Lily shook her head.

"What are you saying?"

"Lily…I'm an animagus." The words hit Lily and she didn't even know what to make of them for awhile. She kept shaking her head.

"That's impossible. With becoming the animagus, the ministry – " Sirius laughed at this.

"Come on, Lily. We're the Marauders, we have never played by the rules." Lily gave a shocked look to Sirius.

"Wait…it's not only you? It's all four of you?" Lily, looking stunned, stopped looking at Sirius and started pacing.

"That's right."

"Then…" Lily stopped pacing. "Who was the stag?" There was a pause. Lily stood in front of Sirius. He looked into her eyes, frowning. All at once, she kissed him. Not a long and passionate one. Just a kiss, nothing more. After letting go, Sirius looked stunned.

"What was that for?" he said hoarsely.

"For trying to save my life." Lily said with a smile.

"But I didn't succeed."

"But you tried, right?"

"Yeah…I did." Sirius said with a half smile.

"Sirius…" Lily said, backing up a bit, "who is the stag?" Sirius shifted uncomftorably in his seat. He didn't say anything, but started to shake his head.

"You don't want to know. It'll ruin everything for you."

"Please tell me." Sirius looked back into Lily's eyes, which were full of desperation.

"It's…" Sirius looked at Lily again, waiting for the answer. He continued:

"It's James."


End file.
